Countries seen on the news, countries that participated in the Olympics and World Cups, countries that caught your eye in guidebooks—even if you only know their names“What kind of country is it?”It is surprisingly difficult to imagine. “A book that gives you a world map just by reading it(edited by Hitoyasu Ida) divides the world map into about 30 regions, and while looking at the map, gives a bird’s-eye view of the world’s 212 countries and regions.It is an epoch-making book that allows you to learn the characteristics of each region and the relationships between countries in a compact manner, and to clearly understand important global issues that adults should know.In this seriesthis bookWhile excerpting a part from the book, we will introduce the world’s countries one by one every day.
What kind of country is Italy?
Italy is a boot-shaped country in southern Europe that juts out into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. France,Switzerland、Austria、SloveniaSan Marino and borders the Vatican.
The Roman Empire, which ruled the Mediterranean region from the 1st to 5th century BC, had a great influence on later European culture along with ancient Greece.
Various buildings such as the amphitheater called the Colosseum, which was made with excellent architectural technology, still remain in the capital city of Rome, and you can see them up close.
Commerce and industry have developed in the cities of Northern Italy since ancient times. In the 10th century, Venice, known as the “City of Water,” prospered in trade with the eastern Mediterranean, while Florence, known as the “City of Flowers,” developed finance and the woolen industry.
In the 14th century, the Renaissance, which is said to be a free and lively culture emphasizing humanity, emerged from cities in northern Italy, and spread throughout Western Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.
After that, Italy was divided for a long time, but united in the late 19th century.
When the Axis powers were defeated in World War II, the Mussolini regime collapsed in 1943, the monarchy was abolished in 1946, and a republic was established in 1948.
italian peninsulaEurope’s leading agricultural powerhouse
Italy is a country with a thriving agricultural industry.Germany3rd in the EU after(2019)。
Because the country is long and narrow from north to south, the climate differs between the north and south, and the fertile plains spread in the Po River basin in the north, where there is a lot of rainfall, and it is a rich breadbasket including rice paddies.
On the other hand, in the mountainous southern part, Mediterranean agriculture is practiced, and in addition to wheat, grapes and olives, which are the second largest producers in the world, and tomatoes, which are the sixth largest in the world, are produced.(2019)。
Dairy farming is also thriving, producing a wide variety of cheeses.
North-south disparity becomes apparent due to economic development
Along with economic growth, the tertiary industry expanded rapidly from the 1980s. The northern Italian triangle connecting Genova, Milan and Turin is the heart of the industry.
Genoa is Italy’s largest port city, Turin has a thriving automobile industry, and Milan is an international fashion center with a growing textile and clothing industry.
The wealthy north is centered on industry, while the poor south is centered on agriculture and light industry. As a result, the income disparity is large, and how to resolve this north-south disparity has become an issue.
In addition, the northern and central regions centered on Bologna and Florence are called the “Third Italy”, where small and medium-sized local industries that manufacture brand-name bags are concentrated and exported to the world.
In February 2021, former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi became Prime Minister and announced fiscal consolidation through economic growth rather than austerity.
Italian Republic
Area: 301,000㎢ Capital: Rome
Population: 62.39 million Currency: Euro
Languages: Italian (official), German, French, etc.
Religion: Christianity 80.8% (Catholic majority)
Adjacent: France,Switzerland、Austria、SloveniaSan Marino, Vatican City
(Note) “2022 Data Book of the World” (Ninomiya Shoten), CIA The World FactbookSee (as of February 2022)
(This paper is based onA book that gives you a world map just by reading itThis is an excerpt and edited from )
